At This Villa Wedding in Lake Como, Guests Danced All Night Under Colorful Frescoes
Nina Jiaravanon and Ian Santoso began dating soon after meeting in Singapore in 2017, and ultimately got engaged in the Similan Islands off the coast of Thailand while on a dive trip in 2021. “Ian proposed on a private beach during sunset,” Nina remembers. “It was a complete surprise!” They both love diving, and it was their first trip doing so after the pandemic. “He wanted to propose in my home country of Thailand,” she adds.
Six years later, Nina and Ian—who work in finance and tech respectively—got married at Villa Erba in Lake Como on September 10, 2023. They wanted to do a destination wedding and chose a location that would also allow guests traveling from far away to feel like they were vacationing.
Wedding planning started about a year before the big day. The couple managed to book their wedding venues on their preferred dates and were guided through the entire process by Rachel and the team at the Lake Como Wedding Planner.
For the welcome dinner on September 9th, the design brief called for “bright and colorful.” “We started with the patterned tablecloths and worked from there to come up with the mood of the welcome party,” Nina says. They chose a venue that was right on the lake and arranged for boats to ferry the guests to the dinner so they could take in the views of the surrounding landscapes along the way.
The dress code was vibrant dresses and linen suits for men, and guests were greeted with live music, a BBQ dinner served family style, and Campari under warm fairy lights. For the welcome event, Nina wore a Dana Harel draped tulle dress. “I wanted something soft, feminine, and airy for our welcome dinner by the lake,” Nina says. The earrings were blue and yellow sapphire drops from the bride’s mother’s collection, which she wore with a white Lady Dior Micro bag embroidered with beaded yellow mimosa flowers to match, and heels by Aquazurra.
At the wedding the following day, Nina wore an Oscar de la Renta fall 2023 strapless dress with hand-cut floral petals embroidered on the dress. “I wanted a look that was romantic with floral details,” the bride explains. “And this was perfect for the backdrop of the villa and lake.”
The ceremony was intimate, with just the couple’s closest family and friends. “It was the most beautiful aisle with the perfect backdrop of the lake,” Nina says. “It was super special as my father walked me down the aisle. He has always been my role model.”
Nina and her father’s entrance was accompanied by a string quartet playing “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” The service was officiated by Father Marcin Schmidt. “It was very special,” Nina says. “We were both very emotional and touched by the vows we had written for each other. We kept them secret until the ceremony. After many months of planning and almost two years of being engaged, we both felt so happy that everything had finally come together, especially with such a romantic and beautiful backdrop.”
The couple wanted the flowers, which were by Rattiflora, to complement the decor and frescos inside the villa, which had tones of dark red, green, and gold. They chose a mirrored table to reflect the beautiful ceilings and Ginori plates for the table. Flowers included tones of pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows and included some of the bride’s favorites—like roses, dahlias, fire lilies, and Dianthus Hollandia. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktail hour, with his and hers signature drinks and a live jazz band playing as the sun set, followed by dinner and speeches inside the villa.
For dinner, Nina switched into a Georges Hobeika fall 2023 nude strapless beaded tulle dress. “I wanted to wear something elegant and more sparkly for when we moved inside the villa,” she notes. “Since the villa’s walls and ceilings were adorned with beautiful frescos I chose a nude color dress that wouldn’t clash with the interior.”
When dinner ended, guests were escorted to the patio to partake in the Champagne tower and wave sparklers. The wedding cake—a traditional raspberry Italian millefoglie wedding cake—was cut and served, and there was a surprise fireworks show synchronized to “You’ve Got the Love” by Florence + The Machine. “This really opened the floodgates of tears and emotion from most of our friends and family,” Nina remembers.
After the fireworks show, the dancing began. For the after-party, Nina changed into an Ines Di Santo dress. “We walked down the candlelit staircase of the villa and did our first dance to ‘Until I Found You,’” Nina says. “Then we danced the night away to the DJ and live saxophonist. At one point, when Deborah from Elan Artists sang ‘Valerie’ by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, everyone was on their feet in a train from one room to the other, while flinging with dinner napkins around instilling a rush of energy that led to the after-party. There were tray-passed burgers, pizzas, and pasta as late-night snacks. It was truly a dream—one of the most magical nights to remember.”